The five most notable homecomings of the past 25 years

It’s going to be quite the scene when Peyton Manning returns to Indianapolis Sunday night for his first game at Lucas Oil Stadium since 2010. Manning, who sat out the entire 2011 season due to an injury, has been stellar since joining the Broncos last season and will face his former teammates in what could end up being a preview of this season’s AFC title game.

Manning isn’t the first legendary player to return to the scene of his greatest early-career triumphs. Here’s how some other Hall of Famers (or soon to be ones) fared in their first appearances in front of their former fans.

Brett Favre’s return to Green BayNovember 1, 2009

(Photo: Dan Powers/Post-Crescent)

After 16 seasons with the Packers (and one with the New York Jets), Brett Favre led the 6-1 Minnesota Vikings into Lambeau Field. At 40, he still looked like a Super Bowl winning quarterback, throwing for 244 yards and four touchdowns to lead Minnesota to a 38-26 win in front of a sold-out crowd of cheeseheads.

Favre didn’t exactly get a hero’s welcome during his return to Lambeau.(Photo: Scott Boehm/Getty Images)

Favre’s trip to Lambeau didn’t go as well the following year, as he threw three interceptions in the Vikings’ 28-24 loss, his last appearance at the legendary stadium.

Favre returned to Green Bay a winner in 2010.(Photo: AP/Jeffrey Phelps)

LeBron James goes back to Cleveland with the HeatDecember 2, 2010

A fan heckles LeBron James during the first quarter of his return game to Cleveland.(Photo: AP/Tony Dejak)

Nearly five months after “The Decision,” James returned to Quicken Loans Arena for the first time as a member of the Miami Heat. He didn’t let the boos and hostile signs from the sold-out crowd get to him, as he scored 38 points (including 24 in the third quarter) in the Heat’s 118-90 win over the Cavaliers.

This sign outside Quicken Loans Arena prior to James’ return to Cleveland gives a good idea of the local sentiment towards him at the time.(Photo: AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

“So many things went through my mind,” James said after the game. “I have nothing bad to say about these fans at all. We grew from the year before I got here, a 17-win season to the last two years I was here, we had the best team in the league in the regular season. I understand their frustration. I was frustrated also because we didn’t accomplish what we wanted to. I wish this organization and these fans, who are great, the best.”

Michael Jordan comes back as a WizardJanuary 19, 2002

(Photo: AP/Brian Kersey)

Back in the NBA after a three-year “second retirement,” a 38-year-old Jordan played his first game in the United Center where he wasn’t wearing a Bulls uniform. Fans showed the six-time NBA champion the respect befitting a man with his own statue out front and while Jordan wasn’t the same player who won five MVPs and ten scoring titles in Chicago, he did show flashes of his former self. Jordan played 41 minutes, scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds as the Wizards beat the Bulls 77-69.

Roger Clemens takes the mound at FenwayJuly 12, 1997

(Photo: AP/Charles Krupa)

After 13 seasons with the Red Sox, the Cy Young winning hurler signed a four-year, $40 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays after the 1996 season and faced his former team at Fenway Park for the first time the following summer.

Red Sox fans welcome Clemens back to Boston.(Photo: AP/Jim Rogash)

Clemens didn’t miss a beat in his return performance, giving up one run and four hits in eight innings with 16 strikeouts. The Blue Jays’ 3-1 victory improved Clemens’ record to 14-3. He’d finish the season 21-7 with an MLB leading 2.05 ERA and 292 strikeouts, all good enough to earn him his fourth career Cy Young award.

Wayne Gretzky’s homecoming in EdmontonOctober 19, 1988

A shocking offseason trade (video above) sent “The Great One” from Edmonton to Los Angeles after nine NHL seasons, eight scoring titles and four Stanley Cup wins. Gretzky had only played six games with his new team before he returned to the home arena of his previous one. He registered two assists but left Edmonton without a win as Mark Messier’s two goals powered the Oilers past the Kings 8-6.

How will Peyton Manning’s return to Indianapolis compare with these other legends?

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